Academy for Jewish Religion, California - Clergy & Alumni Association

Academy for Jewish Religion, California - Clergy & Alumni Association

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Seidman, Lawrence

Position: Rabbi

Rabbi Larry Seidman is a transdenominational rabbi serving the Jewish communities of Southern California. Based in Orange County, he is a frequent participant in interfaith activities, and in weddings, bnai mitzvot, funerals, and hospice calls for the unaffiliated.

Specializations

Baby Naming Ceremonies

Bereavement Counseling

Conversion Classes

Corrections Chaplaincy

Dedications & New Home Blessings

Funerals, Memorial Services & Unveilings

Hospice Chaplaincy

Hospital Chaplaincy

Public Speaking

Senior Living Programming

Visiting the Sick/Bikkur Cholim

Weddings

Writing/Editing

Thesis Title
YOU CAN BE RATIONAL AND RELIGIOUS (2009)

Abstract:
Do the Bible and Jewish religious tradition give us a single idea of a God which is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and benevolent? Does being religious require that you believe the Bible, the Torah, to be the word of God perfectly transmitted? Isn’t there a single correct understanding of the meaning of the Bible? The answer is no. Jewish tradition in all ages has recorded a variety of beliefs. Jews for thousands of years have disagreed about what it means to be religious, what we should believe and how we should act. You can be fully rational and stay inside the envelope of tradition. This has been true in all stages if Jewish history.